Key controlled, position sensitive, portable alarm

ABSTRACT

A portable alarm device senses movement of the device and actuates an alarm. A pendulum with attached magnet, set in motion by movement of the device, causes closing of alarm circuit reed switches to actuate a continuous alarm. The pendulum may be set by a control member and removable key to a hold position to prevent its oscillation or to a release position to allow its oscillation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to handy alarm devices, and moreparticularly, to a portable type handy alarm device provided with anabnormality sensing means for the purpose of burglar-proofing.

Alarm devices heretofore available as abnormality sensing means for thepurpose of burglar-proofing are activated by a change in light orelectric current associated with a door or entranceway. In thesedevices, however, wires are extended to constitute a system, and hence,the structure becomes large-scaled and complicated and the device isexpensive. In addition, these prior devices gave rise to variousinconveniences in installation and resulted in a considerable increasein cost unless the system was laid out from the outset of theinstallation.

Furthermore, the prior art devices have suffered from disadvantages interms of cost and the impracticality of providing separate articles withthe sensing portion of alarm system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an alarm device which has been achievedas a result of various studies and developments made in an effort ofsolving and removing at once those disadvantages noted above withrespect to the prior art alarm devices.

That is, the most significant object of the present invention resides inburglar-proofing. It is therefore a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a uniquely improved and extremely efficient alarmdevice which can continue sounding an alarm by directly andinstantaneously sensing movement of an article to be protected.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an alarm devicewhich is designed to be portable so that anybody may carry and move it,very conveniently and easily, anywhere and thereby place or set itindependently in position where the article to be protected is located.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a devicewhich is designed to be a universal burglar-proof type alarm which issmall in size and available at very low cost, which may be applied toany article to be protected and may be independently set anywhere on thearticle to be protected.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will appearmore fully hereinafter from a consideration of the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein preferredembodiments are illustrated by way of example.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, featuresof the present invention are not limited to the illustrated embodimentsbut merely comprise one mode belonging to a category of the inventiveconcept defined in the claims of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view showing the exterior of a body of ahandy alarm device in the form of a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the device with a case cover of FIG. 1 removedto show the detailed construction of the interior thereof, showing astate prior to setting;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state of FIG. 2 after set, that is, theoperating state;

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on line X--X of FIG. 2 and asviewed in the direction of arrow; and

FIG. 5 is a general perspective view showing the exterior of a secondembodiment of the device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of the alarm circuit, including an auxillaryattachable flashing signal.

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6, with the optional iron pieces removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First, in FIG. 1, which is a general perspective view showing theexterior of a handy alarm device in accordance with the presentinvention, the body of the alarm device is designated at 1, and thereference character K denotes an operating key capable of being insertedand removed.

Next, FIG. 2 is a front view with a case cover 3 removed from the alarmdevice body 1 shown in FIG. 1 to better understand the detailedstructure of the interior thereof. In this figure, the numeral 2designates a case portion which forms one of the outer casings of thealarm device body.

Disposed in position within the case portion 2 is an oscillating member6, which is movably supported on a supporting rod 5, having a weight andmagnet 4 disposed on one end thereof; the oscillating member has theother end introduced and positioned within a substantially triangularwindow frame 8 bored in the peripheral surface of a cylindrical controlmember 7.

As may be seen in FIG. 4, which is a sectional plan view taken on lineX--X of FIG. 2, the oscillating member 6 is disposed with its supportingrod 5 at a suitable angle of θ relative to a back surface 2' of the caseportion 2. Such a disposition senses movement of the alarm device body 1laterally and longitudinally, that is, any movement in an instantaneousand accurate manner to provide a quick inclining motion as desired.

The control member 7 is associated with a locking inner cylinder 9 sothat the former may be rotated in synchronism with the inner cylinder byoperation of the key K. That is, the allowable range of oscillation ofthe oscillating member 6, in the state shown in FIG. 2, is limited tothe width l thereof by the window frame 8 of the control member 7.However, when the key K is rotated through about 90 degrees(counterclockwise), the allowable range of oscillation is increased tothe width L (as may be seen in the front view showing the operatingstate of FIG. 3) to release suppression of the oscillating member 6. Itwill be noted of course, in the position shown in FIG. 3, that the key Kmay be disengaged from the locking inner cylinder 9.

On the opposite sides of the oscillating member 6, there are disposedmagnetically sensitive reed switches 10 as in the ilustrated embodiment,which are parallel-connected with each other and series-connected to aseries circuit comprising a battery 11 and a buzzer circuit 12.

Now, even if an attempt is made to move the handy alarm device 1 of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which device is designed socompactly as to be capable of being carried and placed in the desiredposition, member 6 is positively suppressed at the l portion within thewindow frame 8 of the control member 7 so that the magnet 4 is notaccessible to the magnetically sensitive reed switches 10. As aconsequence, the reed switches are not closed, thus failing to actuatethe alarm. In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, key K cannot bewithdrawn.

Next, when the key K is rotated through about 90 degrees(counterclockwise), the oscillation-suppression of the upper end of theoscillating member 6 is released. That is, the control member is rotatedby the operation of the key K, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the L portionof the window frame 8 is positioned to allow the upper end of theoscillating member 6 to be oscillatable, and the magnet 4 is accessibleto either of the reed switches 10. It will be further noted, in thestate shown in FIG. 3, that the key K can be withdrawn.

Thus, the handy alarm device 1 of the present invention is laid on asuitable portion of the article to be protected to burglar-proof thearticle or laid in the neighborhood of a door, a window or the like; oron the floor internally of the door; and the key K is kept withdrawn.When an unauthorized person touches the article on which the handy alarmdevice of the present invention is laid and moves the article even asmall amount, the oscillating member 6 instantaneously oscillates andthe magnet 4 moves close to the reed switches 10 so that the switchesprovide a closed electric circuit to sound an alarm such as the buzzer12. Iron pieces 16, as seen in FIG. 6, may be secured in theneighborhood of the reed switches 10; the magnet 4, once moved towardeither side, is attracted to the piece of iron whereby the reed switches10 are maintained closed to continue giving an alarm, thus informing aperson of an invasion of an unauthorized person. Of course, iron pieces16 could be done away with as in FIG. 7.

It is impossible to stop the alarm once it begins to sound, unless thekey K is inserted into the locking inner cylinder 9 and turnedclockwise. Accordingly, by turning the key K clockwise, the oscillatingmember 6 is pulled back along the peripheral edge of the substantiallytriangular window frame 8 bored in the peripheral surface of the controlmember 7 to return it to the position shown in FIG. 2, as a consequence,the reed switches 10 are turned OFF to stop the alarm.

As described above, the handy alarm device of the present invention,which is constructed and operated as mentioned above, is a uniquelyimproved and extremely efficient alarm device which can directly andinstantaneously sense movement of the article to be protected.Accordingly, anybody can carry and move the present alarm deviceextremely easily and simply and independently lay or place it on asuitable article to be protected. In addition, the present inventionalarm device is small in size and extremely low in cost and is auniversal burglar-proof type device which can be independently placedfor use anywhere on the article to be protected. Thus, the presentinvention may provide an alarm device which is extremely efficient anduseful for burglar-proofing.

A second embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 5, will bedescribed. The second embodiment is almost the same in its object,operation and effect as those described in the first embodiment (FIGS.1-4), except that the alarm circuit comprises an auxiliary flashingsignal display 14. An outer peripheral wall of the case portion 2 of thealarm device body 1 is provided with a jack 15 for insertion therein ofa flashing signal lamp 14 connected to the end of a suitable length oflead wire 13. With this arrangement, the lead wire may be connected tothe jack and extended a suitable length so that the flashing signal lamp14 may be set adjacent the user to provide two alarms, a buzzer andflashing signal display. In this manner, two alarm means (of theso-called auditory and visual senses) are provided by which it ispossible to instantaneously and accurately detect an invader orunauthorized person.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable alarm device comprising:a moveablemagnet in a case; a control member settable to a hold position or arelease position for respectively preventing or allowing movement ofsaid magnet in response to movement of said case; a locking cylinderrotatable in synchronism with said control member and actuatable to setsaid control member to said hold position or said release position; analarm circuit having magnetically sensitive switches closeable bymovement of said magnet to actuate an alarm when said control member isset to said release position and said magnet moves; and a removable keyadapted to actuate said locking cylinder.
 2. An apparatus as in claim 1,wherein said portable alarm device further comprises a pendulum having afirst end, a second end, and a suspension point, said pendulum supportedat said suspension point by a support rod, said magnet disposed on saidfirst end of said pendulum to act as a weight, said support rod attachedto a wall of said case at a suitable angle to allow swinging of saidpendulum, and said second end of said pendulum introduced and positionedin a substantially triangular window frame formed in said controlmember, whereby said pendulum may oscillate within said case about saidsuspension point when said control member is set to said releaseposition.
 3. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said alarm circuitincludes a buzzer.
 4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said alarmcircuit includes a flashing signal display.
 5. An apparatus as in claim1, wherein said alarm of said alarm circuit includes a buzzer and aflashing signal display.